festivals and events

raves and reviews

the sweet scoop

the sweet scoop

Drumroll, please… Last night, Time Out New Yorkannounced the 2012 Food & Drink Awards winners during their industry awards event at Skylight West. Hosted by Time Out’s Food & Drink editor, Jordana Rothman, the annual culinary celebration honors the city’s best restaurants, chefs, bars and mixologists. “It’s been great to see so many restaurants and bars breaking the grip of comfort food and exploring fresh new terrain,” says Jordana. “This year’s list of winners is incredibly diverse, but what unites them all…is a sure-footed confidence.”

“It’s all about the meat on meat, baby!” exclaimed Michael Symon as he proudly displayed his second People’s Choice Award trophy during last year’s 2011 SOBEWFF Burger Bash. A year later, his meat mixing mastery has paid off again.

“This year, we ground the bacon right into the burger meat,” said Symon of his winning Porky Burger — a bacon-speckled ground pork patty topped with pulled pork and slaw, with crispy pork cracklings on the side.

One of the most popular events of the Festival, the annual “best between the bun” throwdown hosted by Rachael Raydrew dozens of top name chefs and Food Network personalities from around the country to cook up their best burger creations. Thousands of attendees gathered into a massive Miami beachfront tent to nosh on a whopping amount of burgers and sides, sip Amstel Light and vote for their favorite patty.

There were 32 different burgers in all — more than enough to satisfy even the hungriest carnivores. Josh Capon (Burger & Barrel) put a sweet and savory spin on his with onion and bacon jam, shaved pickles and secret sauce, while Angelo Sosa (Social Eatz) spiced things up with his Korean-inspired bulgogi burger. The Meatball Shop guys impressed during their Bash debut with a chili-flavored cheddar and caramelized onion version, and the Amstel Light-sponsored Fatty ‘Cue patty from Zak Pelaccio was also a favorite—succulent lamb meat with salted chilis and rye barrel aged worcestershire.